MOSCOW, May 12. /TASS/. Moscow reserves the right to take action to avert the threats that could arise if Ukraine uses the UK-provided long-range missiles, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.
The statement followed the UK decision to transfer the Storm Shadow missile system to Ukraine.
"The Russian side reserves the right to take all necessary measures to neutralize the threats that could arise in the event Ukraine utilizes the British missiles," the ministry said.
It said the responsibility for the consequences of London’s destructive behavior "utterly and completely lies with the masterminds and operators of this reckless move."
"We regard this decision as another extremely hostile step by London aimed at funneling more weapons to Ukraine and leading to a serious escalation of the situation in the area of the special military operation," the statement said. "The transfer of long-range high-precision missile systems to the Kiev regime vividly confirms the unprecedented level of Britain's involvement in the Ukrainian conflict."
The ministry said that the UK, playing geopolitics and striving to establish itself as an informal leader of NATO on the Ukrainian trek and an implacable opponent of Russia, is "ready to cross any boundaries and take the conflict to a fundamentally new level in terms of destruction and human casualties."
The transfer of missiles was initially reported by CNN, which cited sources. The report said the range of these weapons allows strikes deep into the territory of new Russian regions. Later, UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace confirmed the delivery of Storm Shadow missiles. He called the move a measured and proportionate response to Russia.